IO-Link in the dairy industry: good preparation is half the battle

On Friday 23 May, PI Nederland will be organising the IO-Link workshop. Arjan Rietberg, OT Technical Engineer at FrieslandCampina, will be giving the opening presentation. In his presentation, he will explain how the giant in food products is applying IO-Link.

“IO-Link originally came from mechanical engineering,” says Arjan. But he soon discovered that IO-Link is of great added value to the dairy industry.

Arjan has been working for FrieslandCampina for 25 years, 24 of which at the Borculo site. In 2012, he first came into contact with IO-Link and it was clear to him: IO-Link is extremely suitable for the dairy industry. Since then, the Borculo site has undergone a huge automation drive and the dairy factory makes full use of IO-Link.

“Cost-effective, hygienic, plug and play,” he sums up the three advantages of IO-Link. The three aspects that characterize IO-Link and are of great importance to the dairy industry.

During the interview, suppliers are a recurring topic. Arjan explains that he and his colleagues are in close contact with suppliers of valves and measurement and control systems. “FrieslandCampina’s dairy factories are full of valves,” says Arjan. A dairy factory consists of 71 percent valves, 19 percent instrumentation and then a bit of motor control. “Instrumentation has been IO-Link for years, since 2020 valves are also on IO-Link and so you can connect the entire dairy factory to IO-Link,” he concludes.

Two requirements stand out: hygiene and plug and play. It goes without saying that hygiene is crucial in a dairy factory. Plug and play is the magical container concept that the dairy factory in Borculo runs on.

A so-called disadvantage of IO-Link is that you have to think very carefully about your software. “In the field it is really magnificently simple, but because you now receive so much more information, you have to adapt your software to this.” Every type of device must be tested extensively in advance. In the field it is plug and play, but the software side must be well prepared. Arjan emphasizes that IO-Link is a blessing when-and-only-when you test and prepare well and extensively. If you do not do this, the dairy factory will stand still. Arjan repeats it once more: “The software development must be set up and prepared in advance. Then it is plug and play. A blessing.”

Come to the IO-Link workshop at Avans University of Applied Sciences in 's-Hertogenbosch on May 23. Learn from the experts and get started right away.